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As people moved to Derby between the 1950s and 1960s, the average house price was around £2000. Wages were considerably lower than today’s, particularly for many South Asians who found that they could only access poorly paid work. Renting accommodation could be a struggle and the dream of purchasing a home remained out of reach for most recent arrivals.

“When I go back to India I used to say, over there (UK) they say thank you, sorry, thank you sorry. And all of the houses are the same! You can’t even find your home if you do not know where you’re going because they look the same. That’s what I used to say.”

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Those already settled in Derby would often receive requests to host family or friends arriving in the UK. There could be as many as 15 people staying in a house, with new arrivals using a friend’s home to stay in whilst they sorted their own accommodation. Homes would be bustling with relatives, friends and neighbours, particularly during celebrations such as Eid, Diwali or Vaisakhi.

Terraced houses would often be chosen due to their lower prices and multiple rooms.

Amongst other areas, Normanton became a popular place for South Asians to settle in Derby due to the availability of housing and the supportive communities establishing there.

"They all lived in a rented house on Dairy House road. There were loads of them living there, but none of them ever saw each other- they were all working shift patterns. My dad arrived and they said ‘There’s a bed there, you can sleep on it from these hours.'

He was tired and he said, “well what about now” and the guy said

“there’s someone coming back from shift, he’s gonna sleep there now. When he’s gone, then it’s your turn.”

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